Mooresville High junior dies in car crash on State Road 144
MOORESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) – A junior at Mooresville High School died in a vehicular crash Monday afternoon southeast of the city, according to the school district.
16-year-old Kiersten Woodward was a Las Vegas native. She is survived by her parents, Andy and Jill (Pierce) Woodward, and a sister.
Indiana Department of Transportation announced about 4:30 p.m. Monday that all lanes of State Road 144 between Christner Lane and Old State Road 44 was shut down for several hours. That site is about halfway between Mooresville and Waverly in Morgan County.
A call from News 8 to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office to learn more about the crash was not immediately returned.
Kiersten had attended Waverly Elementary, Paul Hadley Middle School and Herron High School. She recently rejoined her classmates and transferred to Mooresville High School for her junior year. She was scheduled to be inducted into the National Honor Society on Sunday.
Family and friends will gather from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Tube Factory artspace, 1125 S. Cruft St., Indianapolis, to remember Kiersten. A celebration of her life will begin at 7 p.m., according to Carlisle-Branson Funeral Service & Crematory, Mooresville.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that memorial contributions may be made to the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.
Mooresville High School principal shared this message to parents Tuesday:
“This morning we let our students know that one of their classmates was lost in a car accident last evening. The student is junior Kiersten Woodward. We’ve spoken with her parents who have given us permission to share her name.
“Please know that we have our counselors as well as local ministers and behavioral health clinicians available to meet with our students as needed. School administrators are also visiting each of Kiersten’s classes to provide additional support. Please let our guidance office know if you would like us to arrange for your child to meet with someone. We have additional resources for parents to talk with their children about grief and loss available on our website: https://www.mooresvilleschools.org/parents/helping-children-cope-with-grief-and-loss“